You can start your research project by getting background information of a particular topic (e.g. definition, background, and overview)
There are many online reference sources you can use to gather information:
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc. (e.g. Oxford Reference Online)
More reference tools on Research Guides: (https://libguides.hkust.edu.hk/basic-citation)
You can access the databases through https://library.hkust.edu.hk/collections-resources/databases/all-databases/?subj=Science
Journals are articles which help you understand a particular topic more thoroughly
Finding journal articles from Library databases and Google or Google Scholar, what are their differences?
These resources can help give you a quick overview of a topic with more credibility than Wikipedia or a broad Google search.
You can refer to the Library Resources tab for more information.
To answer your research question, you may need different types of information. For example:
Information Types | Examples | Information Sources |
---|---|---|
Definitions of key terms |
|
|
Facts and statistics |
|
|
Short review of a subject |
|
|
Detailed study of a subject |
|
|
A scholarly research article |
|
|
Discussion of an event or current affairs |
|
|